


The Day Job

by StoneyT456



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Batbrothers (DCU) Bonding, Detective Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Fluff, Humor, Red Hood and Red Robin teamup, Tired Dick Grayson, bad language because Jason is in this, batfam, brothers fighting, but deep down they all love each other, exasperated dick grayson, small dickbabs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 08:00:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21639997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoneyT456/pseuds/StoneyT456
Summary: Sometimes Dick Grayson wonders why he committed himself to both a full-time day job and a full-time night job, especially when the two just so happen to collide into each other.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson
Comments: 16
Kudos: 231





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! So this is my first Batman fic and I'm gonna be honest right here, I don't read the comics (I don't have the time or money tbh) so most of my info is from Wiki pages, other fanfics, and my die-hard friends who do have the money and time. That being said, I'll try to keep this as accurate as possible, but please understand that if I get something wrong comic-wise, go easy on me but feel free to let me know in the comments. 
> 
> That being said, I want to include the entire batfam in this, slowly but surely so please stick with me. I will also add in Dick's partner Amy, and if you want a more in-depth explanation of where this all fits in a timeline perspective, look at the notes at the end. 
> 
> So without further ado, here is the fic! If you like it, please kudos or comment. Thanks!
> 
> StoneyT.

Dick Grayson entered his apartment, throwing his keys down on the counter and bringing his hands to his face. He took a breath, and for a moment, seriously thought about quitting the Bludhaven Police Department. 

Dick Grayson had two full-time jobs, one as Detective at the BPD, and the other patrolling the streets as Nightwing. 

He did a lot of good as Detective Dick Grayson. 

He did a lot of good as the vigilante Nightwing. 

He loved the responsibilities associated with both jobs, however sometimes, he needed a bit of a break. Not that he would give himself one. 

Without flipping on the light switch, Dick made his way over to his fridge. He sighed as he looked at the contents, nothing but string cheese, olives, and a can of old beer. Reaching for the cheese, he almost dropped it when he heard a whistle to the side of him. 

"And I thought my place was sad." 

Dick smiled, inwardly mad at himself for not noticing him before. "I've been busy." 

"I can see that." The figure said, looking at his badge. "Detective." 

Dick's smile widened. "What do you want, Jason?" 

Jason smiled, flipping on Dick's hall light and Dick noticed that he was in full Red Hood gear, minus the helmet that was currently lying on his living room table. Jason flopped on his couch, putting his hands behind his head and his feet on the same coffee table his helmet was on. "Can't I just be here to check in on my big brother? Why do I have to want something?" 

Dick walked around and pushed his feet off the table, sitting in his ratty armchair with his string cheese. "Because all of the other times you've been here to visit you've needed something."

Jason put on a mock frown. "Dickie, first of all, I never _need_ anything from you." 

Dick's eyebrows just about reached the ceiling. "Oh really?" 

"Yes," Jason shrugged, "I simply go to you to save time and secondly, if I really wanted to 'hang out with you' I wouldn't do it in this dump you call an apartment." 

"Whatever you have to tell yourself to help you sleep at night, bud," Dick said finishing the last of his supper. "So what do you need my time-saving skills with?" 

Jason's face darkened a bit as he sat up straight, looking at Dick. "Have you heard of someone called Maxwell Garcia?" 

Dick sucked in a breath and stared at Jason. "Where did you hear that name?" He asked. 

"You know him?" 

Dick, stood up, pacing the small space between the television and the table. 

Jason stood too. "By that reaction, I'm guessing you know him. Well, I've been tracking him all over the place and now-" 

"Now he's in Bludhaven." Dick finished. 

"Yeah." Jason looked at him. 'Stop pacing before you tear a hole in your carpet. How do you know that dirtbag anyway?" 

Dick stopped. "I'm working the Garcia case." 

"Wait." Jason tilted his head at him. "Like, doing summersaults from three-story buildings working the Garcia case or fancy whiteboards in a police precinct working the Garcia case?" 

"Precinct," Dick answered. 

"No shit?" 

"No shit." 

Jason sat back down and Dick followed suit, the two of them sitting next to each other on the couch. "So..." Jason said. "What can you tell me about the Garcia case?" 

"Absolutely nothing." 

Jason frowned at him. "That's not very nice, Dickface sharing is caring." 

"And I can't discuss an open investigation with you, Jason." 

Jason stood, pointing at his helmet. "But I'm the Red Hood." 

Dick stood, matching him. "And I'm Nightwing." 

"You can't tell me that you haven't gone out as Nightwing to do some justice to some low-lives you met as Detective Dick," Jason said, his voice rising. 

Dick did his best not to raise his. "Look, I've gone out once or twice and taken care of somethings after the fact but I can't tell you anything cause you'd interfere and this is an active case." 

Jason scoffed. "I'd interfere? Really? I'm not twelve fucking years old Dick I won't mess up your investigation. I know how to cover my tracks. Look, I've been tracking Garcia for months. He sells everything from drugs to kids and that is not acceptable in my book." 

"It's not acceptable in mine either, Jason but that is exactly why I can't tell you anything." 

Jason scowled at him. "Excuse me?" 

"If I tell you where Garcia's hangouts are-" Jason made to interrupt him but Dick stuck his hand out, "if I tell you and you go in and kill him, all of our investigative work is over." 

"So this is all about your investigation, then?" Jason yelled. 

Dick looked like he'd been slapped. "No, you idiot it's so Garcia, his men, and all the people who he's sold to will go to jail and rot in a cell for the rest of their lives. If you go in there and kill everyone, all the people that Garcia communicated with will get off scot-free." 

"Yeah, but if you don't do anything now, you're putting more people at risk!" Jason yelled. "He's selling kids, Dick. Kids! And you're going to sit here and tell me that you'd rather he go to a cushy all-expense-paid jail cell than get his fucking throat slit like he deserves?" 

Dick's gaze went dark. "We don't kill people, Jason." 

" _You_ don't kill people, Dickie." 

Dick turned away from him. "I'm sorry, Jason, but I can't help you with this. Not while I'm working the case at the BPD. I'll ask for reassignment, then I can help you." 

"You won't know Jack-shit if you're not working the case." Jason argued. 

Dick put his hand on Jason's shoulder, pleading with him. "Look, Detective Dick has some skills. Amy and I have been working on Garcia for a week and we're getting close. I just need you to give me time." 

Jason shrugged off his hand. "I don't want your help, Dick. I'll find Garcia on my own."

Jason grabbed his helmet and made his way to the front door. Dick's voice reached him as he touched the handle. "If you're going to be killing people in my city, I might have to go after you." 

It wasn't a threat, it was a warning. Jason paused. "As an officer of the law or as a nighttime superhero wearing spandex?" 

Dick shrugged. "Either, both. I don't know." Dick paused, exhaled a breath. "But please Jason, don't make me chose between my city and my brother." 

Jason opened the door. "You already have." 

* * *

Dick wasn't sure if it was his fight with Jason or the fact that he didn't sleep at all last night that was giving him a migraine from hell but either way he needed it gone and fast. He couldn't afford to be distracted with the Garcia case. He couldn't afford to be before his and Jason's screaming match last night, but now the pressure was even higher if he wanted to keep Jason off of both the BPD and Bruce's radar. 

Jason's relationship with Bruce was still on the mend and Dick didn't want his brother to do anything to jeopardize it. If Jason killed Garcia and all his men in Bludhaven, it would just widen that gap. 

Dick just sighed and put his head on his desk. 

"You look like hell." Amy greeted him. 

Dick looked up at his partner, trying to manage a smile. She set down a coffee next to him on his desk. "Late night?" 

"Yes." He sighed. "And thank you." 

She grinned. "What was her name?" 

Dick grabbed the coffee with two hands and took a sip. "It was Jason." 

Her eyebrows shot up. "Oh." She said. 

If Dick's head didn't feel like it was about to fall out he would have rolled his eyes at her. "My brother, Jason." 

Her cheeks got red. "I was going to say, Grayson. If you managed to hide that from me for all these years I would have been very impressed." 

He nodded at her. "Please, you know just about everything about me." 

She squinted at him. "I don't think that's true." 

He looked at her, "What's the status with the Garcia case?" 

She scoffed at his obvious changing of the subject. "I have a voicemail from my informant. I asked him to piece together any information about where Garcia was and instead of calling me at a normal hour he left a voicemail at three in the morning. What happened with your brother?" 

Dick sighed. "We need to listen to that voicemail." 

"And your brother?" 

"We had a fight." 

"Over?" 

Dick paused. "He wanted something from me that I couldn't give to him." 

"Couldn't or wouldn't?" Amy asked, sitting in her chair at her desk across from him. She was facing him, elbows on her thighs and head in her hands. 

"A little of both." 

"And he got mad?" 

Dick took another sip. "Very." 

She sat up. "You know when my kids fight, I like to put them in the same room. I tell them they can't come out until they've apologized to each other and are friends again." 

Dick raised his eyebrows. "And that works?" 

Amy took a sip of her coffee. "Usually they're both so mad at me for putting them together that they work together to make my life insufferable but at the end of the day, yes. It works." 

Dick smiled. "Justin and Emma are four and six. Jason and I are both adults now, I don't think forcing us together would do much good." 

Amy rolled over to his desk in her chair and grabbed a picture off his desk. It was a photo of all of them. Bruce, Alfred, Damian, Dick, Tim, and Jason, taken at some gala hosted in honor of the Wayne family a couple of months back. Dick found the picture in the newspaper the next week and pathetic as it was, cut it out and put it on his desk. If he already had to hide the fact that he was Nightwing, he didn't see any point in trying to hide the fact that he was Bruce Wayne's heir. It didn't mean that he advertised it either. 

"Which one is Jason?" Amy asked looking at the photo. 

Dick pointed at Jason, standing in the back with a frown on his face. He was taller than all but Bruce and almost as menacing as him. Amy whistled. "Wow, you've got a nice bloodline." 

"Amy you're married." 

Amy shook her head. "Jim would understand." 

Dick shook his head, smiling. "You were trying to make a point?" 

"Oh yeah," Amy cleared her throat, "look, Jason is the next oldest right?" 

Dick nodded. 

"So he looks up to you?" 

"I guess." 

"Then just give him time. He's probably off trying to be independent and doesn't like the fact that you're not helping him. It makes him feel like you're not on his side. Just give him time to come around and when he does, try to explain to him again why it is you can't do what he wants you too." 

Dick grinned at her. "You're pretty smart, ya know that?" 

She shrugged. "Jim is a family therapist. I hear a lot of this crap at home." 

"Does he appreciate you calling it 'crap'?" Dick asked playfully. 

"He does if he wants me to do his laundry." 

Dick looked at her incredulously. " _You_ do the laundry?" 

Amy took another sip of her coffee. "Don't give me that look, Grayson. In my house, if I want something done right, I don't ask Jim to do it. I love him, but he's clueless. Last time he did the laundry he mixed Emma's pink ballet outfit with Justin's white karate uniform." 

"Ouch." 

"Yep." She rolled back to her desk. "Want to listen to this voicemail now?" 

Dick rolled over. "Yes please." 

Amy dialed the number and waited for the voicemail machine to finish its recorded message. As she did, she put the phone to her shoulder and looked at Dick. "Look, whatever happens, I'm sure you and your brother will be fine. You're a great guy, Dick." 

"Thanks, partner." 

The phone beeped at the two of them pressed their ears close to the phone. 

* * *

Jason Todd was annoyed with his family. 

Actually, annoyed was a nice word for how he was feeling. 

"What do you want, Tim?" Jason asked as he looked at his little brother on the balcony of one of his safehouses. He was a tiny bit agitated that the kid knew where his safe house was, but he figured he'd deal with that later. (And by deal with that he meant completely relocate and burn this place to the ground.) 

"Why are you in Bludhaven?" 

Jason scoffed and flopped his arms. "Are you kidding me right now? Did Dickie-bird call you and complain about me interfering with his case?" 

Tim's eyes narrowed through his mask. "I haven't been in contact with Dick since I noticed you were here." 

"Then why are you here?" 

Tim walked into his house, the cocky little brat. "I heard you were working the Garcia case." 

Jason turned to him. "You must have heard wrong. You see," he spat out the next few words, clearly still angry, "Detective Dipstick is working the Garcia case and told me to get lost." 

"He told you to get lost?" 

Jason shrugged. "More or less." 

Tim took another step forward. "Well, I want to help." 

Jason's eyebrows raised. "What?" 

Tim took off his mask so he could look directly at Jason. "I want to help you take down Maxwell Garcia." 

Jason's eyes narrowed. "Why?" 

"Maxwell Garcia and his gang are responsible for the disappearance of Katy Jones." 

"And she is?" 

"She was in my fifth-grade class." 

"And you care why?" 

Tim frowned at him. "Because I'm a normal human being Jason and I don't want what happened to Katy, who was super nice by the way, to happen to anyone else if I can stop it." 

Jason liked the resolve he heard from Tim. "We'd be going against what Boy Wonder wants us to do." 

Jason saw a bit of the resolve leave Tim. "I need to help. Maybe I can talk to Dick later. I can't just sit while Garcia is this close." 

"Does Big B know?" 

Tim shook his head. "No. And I don't want him to." 

"Good." Jason looked him up and down. "You sure you want to do this?" 

Tim gulped. "Yes." 

Jason nodded. "Then let's get started." 


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, I had a massive amount of schoolwork but now finals are done and I'm out for the semester so the updates should be coming a lot more frequently! This chapter is more of a filler to let you know I'm still alive so expect a lot more action in the next coming chapters. 
> 
> Thanks!

Dick stared at the board in front of him, wondering how it was that his life had gotten this complicated in a matter of days. He sighed as he looked over at Amy, who looked as equally done as he was. 

"I don't like this." She said when she caught him looking at her. "There should be another way of doing things that don't involve you putting your neck out on the line for the sheer chance that Garcia snaps you up." 

Dick sat at the table she was at, grabbing his mug and taking a sip from the long cold coffee. The two of them had been in the conference room for hours, evidence and files piled high on the table and whiteboard in front of them. 

"Edison said that this was our best chance of getting more information on Garcia." Dick said, resolve plain in his voice. 

Amy scoffed at him. “Edison is a piece of shit.” 

Dick narrowed his eyes. “I thought you said he was your best informant.” 

“He is.” Amy shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I fully trust him.” 

“What other choice do we have?” 

“We wait it out, follow him.” Amy stood up, looking at the board. “Anything other than this half-brained attempt at a plan.”

“First of all, your confidence in me is staggering.” Dick laughed. “Secondly, the longer we wait on Garcia, the longer he has to do more damage,” Dick remembered his and Jason’s argument earlier that week. “He’s seeling kids, Ames.” He said solemnly. 

Amy sighed and looked at him, flopping back down at the desk. “I know that, Grayson. I just don’t want you to do this.” Dick made to interrupt her but she put a hand out, stopping him. “It’s not that I don’t think you can do it. Frankly, and if you repeat this I  _ will  _ deny it, you’re the best detective I know. Besides me, of course.” 

Dick smiled at her. 

“But this plan is ridiculous.” She finished. 

“It’s not the worse we’ve ever had.” 

Amy thought for a second. “That is a fair point.” She looked at the board and Dick could tell that her eyes were going to the gruesome pictures of Garcia’s victims, each killed more brutally than the next. Dick reached out and touched her hand. 

“I’ll be okay. I promise.” 

She seemed to deflate in front of him, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze. She smiled at him. “Okay. Let’s do it then.” 

Dick gave her a wide grin. “You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you really care about me.” 

Amy scoffed. “Please, if anything happened to you they’d probably stick me with Dobson. You look like Albert Einstein compared to that moron. I’m just doing this for my own sanity.” 

Dick nodded at her. “Uh huh, sure.” 

She shrugged, giving him a nonchalant look. “You ready to go to the chief with this?” 

“No time like the present.” Dick agreed, grabbing up the files on the table. 

“You know he’s gonna hate it right?” 

Dick stopped and sighed. “Probably.” 

“We going to go to him anyway?” 

“Hell yeah.” 

* * *

This was a weird week for Jason Todd. It started with a particularly nasty fight between him and Dick, which all in all wasn’t that out of the ordinary, but the fact that he was currently (willingly) working with Tim was definitely out of his normal routine. 

It was damn right weird that’s what it was. 

Jason can say that there was a time before he got to know Tim more as just his replacement, that he hated Tim. Now, he doesn’t necessarily hate Tim, only holds a burning indifference to him. As he does with most of his family and old friends, Jason couldn’t care less what they were doing or what happened to them. 

He supposed that if he looked deep, deep down, he might find a little part of him that cares whether they’re breathing or not, but he’d have to look  _ deep  _ down to find that part. 

What he didn’t have to dig deep down to know was that if he and Tim didn’t make some progress on the Garcia case soon, he might end up actually killing the kid. 

Especially when he argued with him. 

Jason slammed his hood down on the table in his living room. He went straight to the small fridge in his safehouse and pulled out a beer, quickly popping off the cap and downing a large sip before turning around to face Tim who was quietly making his entrance behind him. 

Jason finished another sip before turning around to him. “What the hell were you thinking?” He yelled. 

Tim flinched. “I was just trying to help you!” 

“You call that helping?” 

“You almost killed that guy!” Tim yelled back. 

Jason rolled his eyes. “That was kinda the point, birdbrain!” 

Tim’s face hardened in a resolve that Jason knew too well. “You can’t kill people Jason, it’s not-” 

“Oh, save me the fucking lecture.” Jason took another swig, finishing his beer and then slamming it on the table. “Look, you’re working with me now. That means you follow my rules, not B’s. Does that make sense?” 

Tim’s face got red. “You can’t ask me to kill.” Tim said quietly. 

“I’m not asking you to.” 

“I can’t sit back and watch you kill.” 

“Then you can’t work with me.” 

The two of them stared at each other. Jason was determined to win this, staring down Tim until he sighed and took off his mask, ruffling his hair with his other hand. “I’m still not okay with it.” 

“You don’t have to be.” 

“But getting Garcia is more important.” 

Jason allowed himself to smile. “Something we agree on.” 

Jason went to the fridge and grabbed another beer, handing it to Tim. Tim looked at him suspiciously. 

“I’m underage.” He said simply. 

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” 

Tim eyed him. “Is it poisoned?” 

“More than what’s normally in alcohol? Not that I know of.” 

Tim set the beer down on the counter, not once breaking eye contact with Jason as he did so. 

Jason shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He said, reaching out and grabbing the beer from beside Tim, opening it and taking a sip. “Besides babysitting me all night, did you get anything from the bust.” 

“You mean besides blood on my suit?” Tim sighed, jumping up on Jason’s counter to sit. Tim looked at him the entire time, almost daring Jason to say something. After he was sure Jason was going to let him get away with it, he reached into his belt, pulling out a flash drive. “I managed to nab this off of one of the guys we’ve spotted with Garcia. I don’t know if it is valuable but I thought it was worth a grab.” 

Jason gave him a genuine smile. “Good intuitive thinking there, Timmy.” 

Tim raised his eyebrows at him. “Amazing what you think of when you’re not thinking of all the different ways to dismember your opponent.” 

“But nowhere near as fun,” Jason added winking at Tim. 

Tim rolled his eyes. “You wanna see what’s on this thing?” 

Jason held out his arms to the direction of his computer. “After you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, more of a filler chapter but if you liked it please drop a comment or kudos. Thanks!


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! This chapter is extra long as a special gift to y'all! Hope you have a great holiday, and if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a great day anyway!   
> Thanks!

**Tuesday Morning - 1:37am**

Okay, Dick knew that the plan had about a twenty-five percent chance of working in the first place, but he never thought it would end so spectacularly... bad? Good? He wasn't necessarily sure of the outcome yet.

What he was sure of, however, was the fact that he was now bleeding out in the basement of what he can only assume to be Jason's hideout, vaguely hearing yet not understanding Jason and Tim's argument.

He was having a hard time focusing on anything besides the fact that his shoulder really, _really_ hurt and that the spots in his vision were making interesting shapes on Jason's white ceiling. He continued zoning out, only coming back when he heard something shatter. "Hey!" He tried to yell. Instead, it only came out at normal volume, his voice croaking as he did so. "What're you guys so... loud about?" 

He didn't see so much as feel Jason and Tim turn to him, Tim practically tripping over his own two feet to stand in front of Dick while Jason, still moving closer, remained a fair distance away. Tim placed his hand on Dick's head, helping him lift it from the couch. 

"Dick? Are you with me buddy?" He asked, the worry in his voice causing Dick to shrink back. 

"What's... why are you so..." He tried to get out. All it sounded like was mumbled. 

Jason came closer and frowned. "You with us, Dickhead?" 

Dick did his best frowny face. "You know I don't like it when you call me that." He muttered. 

Jason rolled his eyes, but even in doing so, Dick noticed the hint of worry in them. "You can yell at me later, right now, you can answer some questions." 

Tim looked at him, "Jason I don't think now is the right-" 

Jason cut him off. "I want to know what he was doing at my raid." 

The two brothers looked at each other for a second before both looking back at Dick. Tim scooted closer to him. "Dick, can you tell us what happened?" 

Jason interjected. "More accurately, what the fuck were you doing working for Maxwell Garcia?" 

Dick squinted at the two of them, doing his best to gather his thoughts despite the now numbness in his shoulder. "Well, it all began about twelveish hours ago..." 

* * *

**12(ish) Hours Ago**

"Testing, testing, one, two, three." Dick waited a moment for a response from the earpiece lodged in his ear, clearing his throat when he got none. "If I don't get a response soon I'm going to be forced to practice my soprano on you." 

He quickly heard a click of status. "We read you loud and clear, please for the love of God, refrain." 

Dick smiled. "Just checking." 

"I forgot you got annoying when you're nervous," Amy said from over the com. 

"Hey, I'm not nervous." Dick shrugged. "Just excited." 

He could almost picture Amy's questioning glance. "Excited for what? Pretending to be a junkie? Really?" 

Dick scoffed. "For your information, Amy, I am not playing a _junkie,_ I am Nicholas Garrett, a famous drug runner and traficker-" 

"Yeah we get it you're fucking superman." 

Dick smiled a knowing smile to himself, not sure how much Clark would appreciate the comment. "I spent a lot of time on this backstory." 

"I know you did," Amy said resolved, "but that doesn't give you an excuse to be lazy on this. I need you on the top of your game, Grayson." 

If Amy could see him, Dick would have given her a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am." 

Dick heard Amy chuckle on the other end of the line and smiled to himself. He knew she was nervous. Hell, he was nervous, so anything he could do to ease the tension he did it. 

Dick took a couple of deep breaths before he heard Amy on his com again. "Okay Grayson. The plan here is easy. We set up a buy between you and Damien Han, Garcia's middleman. If the deal goes smooth, he should get you in contact with Garcia." 

" _If_ the deal goes smooth that is," Dick muttered, rubbing his hand behind his neck. 

" _When_ the deal goes smooth." Amy corrected him. "You room for pessimism." 

"How bout a smidge of realism." 

"I will punch you." 

"Dually noted." 

The two remained quiet over the coms, knowing that Damien would show at any minute. Dick was standing up against the door of a famous club in Bludhaven, one that, unbeknownst to some of the city's most notorious criminals, was also most definitely owned by BPD's biggest informant. How they managed to keep Charlie a secret from all of Bludhaven's criminal class, Dick will never know but what he did know was that Charlie was one hundred percent behind using the bar as Dick's rendezvous point. Over the years, Dick and Charlie have developed what Dick would call, if he didn't know any better, a blooming friendship. Well, as close to a blooming friendship you can get with a guy on parole for murder. Multiple murders. 

But hey, nobody's perfect. 

Dick portrayed a mask of indifference as he leaned against the door, lazily scrolling through his phone as he did so. He pretended not to even care when the black SUV pulled up next to him, speeding to a stop mere inches away from where Dick was standing. As the door opened, a tall man walked out, Dick barely even glancing up to see him. 

"You Nick Garrett?" The man asked in a booming voice. 

Dick raised his eyes from his phone. "You heard of being inconspicuous?" 

Damien raised his eyebrows at him and Dick could practically hear Amy scolding him from the van parked half a mile up the street. "I guess I just have the expectation that my partners will ensure the," his eyes wandered around the abandoned spot, "... safety of the places we do business." 

At this, Dick put his phone into his back pocket, glaring at the man, one step away from rolling his eyes. "Oh, the safety of this place is guaranteed. But I can't account for whatever BPD do-gooder pulls you over for speeding in your giant ass SUV with an expired license plate. I guess I'm used to my partners actually not wanting to get arrested." 

A tense silence breaks out between the two parties, Damien staring daggers at Dick while Dick holds his breath, wondering if he took things too far. Suddenly, the big man bursts into laughter, causing Dick to blow out a breath. 

"Expired tag huh?" Damien whistles. "Man I gotta fire someone." He reaches his hand out to Dick and Dick shakes it. "My apologies, friend." 

Dick flashes an easy smile at him. "No problemo big guy. You had me nervous there for a second." 

Damien flashed him an even bigger smile. "That's part of my job description. If you get too intimidated, Mr. Garcia knows you ain't serious." 

Dick perks up at the name. "Mr. Garcia, eh? Heard a lot about him. In fact, I was hoping you could introduce us." 

Damien's smile falters. "Slow down there, little buddy. I gotta make sure you're legit first." 

"And how do we do that?" 

"First, can you show me the briefcase of cocaine you were bragging about?" 

Dick's com springs to life. "He doesn't really wait around does he?"

Dick grins, moving behind the dumpster to grab the briefcase. He whispers into his mic, "Subtlety is lost on this one." 

Dick pulls out the briefcase, shrugging at the look of disgust on Damien's face. "Hey, we gotta do what we gotta do sometimes man." 

"But behind the dumpster?" 

Dick shrugs again, handing Damien the case. Damien puts the case on the top of the SUV, undoing the latches and glancing inside. He whistles as he takes in the multiple bags full of white powder then turns back to Dick. "This for real?" 

Dick nods. "Real as real can be." 

Damien nods then turns back to Dick. "How come I never heard of you before? Now you're just popping out of nowhere with this much of the good stuff?" Damien shook his head. "Seems unlikely." 

Dick keeps his cool. "I was big over in Gotham but then it got a little too rough for me." 

"Other dealers?" 

Dick shakes his head. "Too many mask-wearing freaks trying to stop my stuff." 

Damien's eyes widen. "You mean... Batman." 

"Batman and his cronies. I had teenagers doing summersaults trying to mess up my deals. Gets real annoying, real fast." 

"Why come to Bludhaven?" 

"I had associates here that promised they could set me up with some of the biggest runners in town." Dick points to him. "Hence why I'm meeting you here." 

Damien nods at him, closing the briefcase. "If this is good, I'll be in contact." 

Dick frowns. "How will I find you?" 

Damien reaches in his pocket, making Dick instinctively go down to where his gun normally is. Damien pulls out an old flip phone and tosses it to Dick. "We'll find you." 

"How soon?" Dick asks. "I got product I need moved quick." 

"There's a big get up tonight, think of it as a private auction for drugs. If this stuff is legit, I'll text you the address." Damien hands the briefcase to the driver of the car, then turns to face Dick. "It was a pleasure doing business with you." 

Dick stops him. "What about my money?" 

"If the cocaine is good, I'll text you the address of the auction tonight. You can either get paid in cash or credit at the event." 

"And if I don't get a text?" 

Damien's hand rests on the car door handle, pausing before he gets in. "Then you have a lot more than money to worry about." 

* * *

**Tuesday Morning - 2:13am**

By the time Dick finished telling his brothers his story, he had needed to stop three times. Dick would like to think that it was just because it was the wee hours of the morning and not the fact that he was probably suffering from massive blood loss. Tim and Jason had done a good job of stitching him up, even though it hurt like a bitch to do. By now, he was resting somewhat comfortably, sitting up on Jason's sofa as he recounted his story. 

"So this Damien guy texted you the address to the meeting?" Tim asked. 

Dick nodded, sipping from a cup of coffee Jason had made him. "Yep." 

"You were undercover?" Jason asked, sitting on the table in front of him. 

"Of course I was undercover what did you morons think I was doing?" 

Tim and Jason looked at each other. "I don't know," Tim said, "but we definitely were surprised to see you there." 

"Yeah, so surprised you shot me." 

Jason scoffed. "It was probably one of Garcia's men that shot you." 

"I'm like ninety percent sure you shot me, Jason." 

"Oh yeah, run the ballistics." 

Dick looked at him as if considering the idea. "I actually might." 

Jason frowned. "All I'm saying is, don't automatically blame me." 

Tim interrupted their argument before it could get any bigger. "All we know is that Dick got shot." 

"And it fucking hurt." Dick added. 

"Yes, that," Tim said. 

"Why I don't understand," Dick said, setting the coffee down and leaning back, "is how you two knew of the auction. It was pretty closed-mouthed." 

Tim's face transformed into guilt. "Remember when you refused to help Jason with the Garcia case?" 

Dick turned to Jason. "Yes?" Dick said, more questioning than anything. 

"Well, he may have then gone to me for help." 

"After I told you not to?" Dick asked Jason. 

Jason shrugged. "When have I ever done anything you told me to?" 

* * *

**Monday Night - 11:24pm**

Tim would be lying if he said he wasn't just a little nervous about tonight. For one, he was with Jason. That face alone made his heart race twice its normal speed. But add in that he was doing this not only without B's permission but also against Dick's wishes? Tim was a mess. 

But the information they had gotten off the flash drive had contained a calendar marking specific meetings in Garcia's organization. Tim had thought it had been too good to be true, but after staking out the warehouse, there was definitely something going on. Tim watched on as more and more thugs filled the room, each taking a seat in the cheap fold-out chairs that were laid out in front of a makeshift podium at the front of the room. 

Jason had gone over the plan with him before they had left. Their main goal was to get Garcia, dead or alive. Tim preferred alive, dragging him off to Arkham where he belongs, but Jason had made it clear that as long as Garcia was off the streets, he didn't care whether that was because he was in a jumpsuit or a body bag. 

Tim glanced over at where he suspected Jason was, grimacing as he caught sight of him. Even with the slightly horrifying Red Hood mask, Jason looked like he was ready for some action. An action hungry Jason scared him more than anything else. He took a chance and radioed Jason on his com. "Red Robin to Red Hood, copy." 

Tim saw Jason turn in his direction. "Copy loud and clear. You got eyes on Garcia?" 

"Not yet but I have a feeling he's not going to make an appearance until the event starts." 

Tim saw Jason look down at his wrist. "It starts in two minutes." 

"Bad guys can't be punctual, Jason it's bad for their street cred?" 

"Street cred?" Jason scoffed. "You've been around Dick too much." 

Tim shrugged. "Should we go over the plan again?" 

"What plan? Get Garcia, get out. Done." 

"But he's probably going to be armed." 

"Then don't get shot." 

"It's not that simple, Jason." 

"It really is." 

Tim sighed, then looked back at the door when something caught his eye. "Holy shit." 

Tim squinted closer, not quite believing what he was seeing. He heard Jason over the coms. "What?" 

Tim just pointed and Jason followed his finger. "Fuck." He breathed. 

Tim stood in awe as he watched Dick walk in, briefcase in one hand, wearing an elegant suit. His hair was slicked back in a way that made him look like an extra douche. Or in this case, he fit in perfectly with the crowd that he was with. 

"What is Dick doing here?" Tim asked. "Did you know about this?" But Tim already knew there was no way that Jason knew. 

"I had no idea but he needs to get the fuck out before we attack." 

Tim snapped his head towards Jason. "We're still going through with the mission?" 

"Of course." 

"But what about Dick?" 

"He'll have to deal. He's a big boy who apparently likes running around with criminals now." 

Tim wrung his hands together. "I don't know, Jason. This seems off." 

"Everything seems off with you." 

"Jason!" Tim whisper yelled. His voice dropped to a softer level. "This is Dick we're talking about." 

Jason dropped his head. "Then we'll be sure not to mess this up." 

"Jason-" 

Tim was cut off by the feed of a microphone cutting through the room. He watched as a large man held a mic, walking up to the podium. "Hello. I'm sure most of you are used to a less... structured environment, but Mr. Garcia wanted me to come out here and announce a few... rules for you all." He said. 

"Number one, no cell phones. Kindly place them in the basket as Guido walks around. Thank you." 

Tim watches as Dick casually places his phone in the basket and then whispers something. Tim tilts his head to the side, confused. Dick looked as if he was trying to nonchalantly talk using coms. It was something Tim had seen all of his brothers do constantly. But Dick wasn't connected to Tim and Jason's coms and he sure as hell wasn't working with B at the moment. Which meant... oh hell no. 

"J, we need to get out of here." 

Jason scoffed over the coms. "Just because Dick is here doesn't mean that-" 

"No you don't understand. I think Dick is undercover." 

Silence. Jason wasn't grasping this. Tim spoke again, exasperated. "Meaning, we need to get out of here before the entire Bludhaven Police Department busts in." 

Tim had wanted Jason to get his stuff together and leave, but instead, he tensed, ready to drop. "Well then let's get him before they get here." 

"We don't even have eyes on Garcia yet!" 

"Doesn't matter. He's here somewhere." 

"Jason no!" 

But Tim was too late. Jason dropped down from his perch, immediately shooting the Damien guy in the shoulder, the room erupted in chaos, guys pulling out their guns all over the place. 

Tim was so busy watching Jason that he missed the look of surprise and then immediate anger that coated Dick's face. Instead, Tim dropped down from his own perch, knowing he had to help his brother. 

* * *

**Tuesday Morning - 2:31am**

"And then Jason shot me." 

"I didn't shoot you-" Jason began.

"Yes." Tim answered.

Jason and Tim both looked at each other until Dick cleared his throat. 

"I want you both to know that I am pissed that you didn't listen to me." Dick began. "I explicitly told you not to get involved. What happened tonight could have blown my cover and gotten me, you both, and countless others killed." 

Jason stiffened while Tim hung his head. 

"That being said," Dick continued, "I can see that you both are too invested to let this go. So _if_ I can come up with a way to maintain cover and _if_ I am cleared to keep working this case, I want you both backing me." 

Tim could see Jason's eyes light up despite the frown he wore. "What's the catch?" He asked. 

"You have to play things by my book. Do you understand?" Dick looked sternly at Jason who nodded. 

"Okay then." Dick said, sighing while leaning back into the couch. "Let me take a nap and then I'll try to figure out how the hell to explain this all to my partner." 


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So sorry for the long wait! I planned on writing a lot during my break but I had a family emergency and then I had to go back to school. This chapter is more of another filler, but things will begin to pick up soon I promise. Thanks for your comments and for sticking with me!

“So let me get this straight,” Amy said looking at him with a look that could be described as anything but believing. “You were at the event, a bunch of gun thug rivals of Garcia’s busted in, and you decided that, instead of going just five steps outside and getting help, that you would go with one of Garcia’s cronies.” 

Dick nodded. “Absolutely.” 

“Who kindly drove you to the hospital?” Amy added, the doubt in her voice. 

“Yep.” 

Amy squinted at him. “Because you got shot.” 

Dick lifted his arm, currently in a sling. “Yep.” 

“Hm.” 

Dick shrugged as best as he could with his injured shoulder. “Pretty crazy right?” 

Amy tilted her head at him, sighing as she leaned back in her office chair. She leaned up at Dick who was casually resting against his desk, a coffee in his hand. “Listen, Grayson,” she began, “I’m not a complete moron.” 

Dick raised his hand to stop her. “I never-” 

“Don’t interrupt me.” She snapped, making him instantly close his mouth. “I’m not a complete moron,” she continued, “and I also have two kids and a husband so I know how to tell if someone is hiding something from me. That being said, I know you’re not telling me the whole truth here.” 

Dick opened his mouth to say something but then shut it, slowly lowering his eyes. “Right,” Amy said standing up. “I’m you’re partner, but you’re also an adult. If there are some things you’d rather not tell me, I can’t force you to say anything. But remember Dick, you’re also my partner. Whatever you’re hiding from me, I can deal with, but don’t,” she said edging up closer to Dick, “let it impact your work. Otherwise, I’ll get you kicked out of here faster than you can blink. Now just answer me one question.” 

Dick looked up and met her eyes. “I can’t-” 

“Are you okay? Is this something serious? I can help if it is.” 

Dick’s face loosened. He set his cup down on the desk and took her hands in his. “I’m okay. Really, I promise. But thank you.” 

Amy smiled a sad smile at him and stepped back, clearing her throat. “Good.” She said. She gave him an odd look before punching him slightly in his good shoulder. 

“What was that for?” Dick asked, trying not to smile at her.   
  


“That was for disappearing afterwards. You didn’t call for like twelve hours, I thought you were dead.” 

Dick hung his head. “I’m really sorry about that Ames.” 

She pointed a finger at him. “If you do that again, I’ll punch you in your bullet hole. Understand?” 

Dick gave her a mock salute. “Yes ma’am.” 

She shook her head at him. “Smartass.” 

“Worrywart.” The two of them stared at each other until Dick spoke again. “We good?” 

Amy sighed deeply and then looked up to meet his eyes. “Yeah, Dick.” She said quietly. “We’re good.” 

* * *

It was later when Dick was finally able to leave the precinct and return home to his apartment when he finally let himself take a deep breath. He threw his keys on the table and made his way into the kitchen, stopping suddenly. 

"Are you freaking kidding me?" He asked turning to where Jason was sitting on his table and Tim on his couch. 

Jason threw his hands up. "It's not my fault you need better security here." 

Dick looked at him exasperated, "Normally I don't have to worry about little psychopaths breaking into my apartment whenever they feel like it." 

Jason put his hands over his heart. "Dick Grayson I am offended." 

Dick scowled at him, pulling a water out of his fridge. "I'm sure you are." He glanced over at Tim. "I expected better from you." He added, flopping down on the couch next to Tim and opening his water. 

"I was really just worried about you." Tim said, glancing at Dick. Tim pulled back Dick's shirt, ignoring the hiss in pain from his brother. "How is the shoulder doing?" 

Dick pulled away from him. "Perfectly fine. Trust me, I've had worse." 

Dick missed the worried glances Tim and Jason sent each other, too busy trying to get away from Tim. He took a sip of his water and gestured at Jason with his hand. "Please, tell me why you've broken into my apartment again." 

"Did you soothe things over with your partner?" Jason asked. 

"If by soothe things over you mean come to a mutual understanding that I can't tell her where I disappeared to after being shot then yes, I have a mutual understanding with my partner." 

Tim nodded and Jason scoffed. "What about your cover with Garcia?" Tim asked. "Is that still sound?" 

Dick shrugged. "Depends on how non-discreet you two were when coming to my honor. My guess is that if anyone saw the mysterious Red Hood and Red Robin coming to my rescue, then no, my cover is blown." 

Jason and Tim looked at each other. "We were pretty nonchalant." Jason said. 

Tim just glanced at him. "Jason was actually pretty non-nonchalant. He freaked out the moment he realized he accidentally shot you." 

"I didn't shoot him!" Jason yelled. Tim just glared at him. "Okay there is like an eighty five percent chance I shot you." 

Dick just smiled. "I probably deserved it." 

Jason just shook his head. "I didn't freak out. I just wanted to make sure that B wasn't going to come and skin me for killing his favorite." 

"Right, well after Jason's non-freak-out," Tim said, "we got you here. I did a scan of the warehouse and I'm pretty sure it was near empty when we whisked you off." 

Dick turned to him. "Pretty sure and near empty are not words that I like to hear Timmy." 

"Well if someone did see us, their keeping quiet about it. As far as I know, Garcia thinks he was hit by another gang." 

Dick narrowed his eyes at Jason. "And how do you know this?" 

Jason un-zipped a pocket of his cargo pants and pulled out the flash drive. "Little Timmy snagged this off of one of Garcia's men. It's a goldmine. It's got an email on it and everything." 

Dick stared at him dumbfounded. "You had this and you didn't tell me about it?" He asked, reaching for the flashdrive and grabbing it out of Jason's hand. "This could save us weeks of work." 

Jason unceremoniously grabbed it back. "It also lets us be in the know of when Garcia's deals are going down." 

"Jason, I need that flash drive." 

"No way in Hell, Dickybird." 

The two brothers stared at each other until Tim cleared his throat next to Dick. "I could just make a copy of the flash drive." 

"I get the original copy." Dick stated, eyes not leaving Jason's. 

Jason sighed and handed the drive over to Tim. "Fine." He said. 

Dick smiled. "Thank you, Jay." 

"Just don't interfere with our investigation." 

Dick raised his eyebrows at him. "Your investigation?" 

Jason shrugged. "It's legit." 

"Oh I'm sure." Dick added shaking his head. 

The three of them sat in silence for a second until Jason spoke up. "So uh, now what?" 

"Now Jason," Dick said leaning back in the couch, hesitantly putting his feet on the table. "Now we wait." 

Jason scoffed. "That's not how I work." 

"That's how real investigations work baby brother." Dick said with his eyes closed on the couch. "You might as well get used to it."

* * *

When Dick wakes up, he isn't surprised to see that one, he has been moved to his bed at some point during the night, and two that Tim and Jason are gone. What he was surprised to see is that they left him a note. He smiles to himself when he sees that it is in Jason's handwriting, despite the fact that the note is so obviously left because Tim forced him to. 

_Keep us informed. Pain pills in nightstand. Feel better or whatever._

_\- Jason Todd_

Dick sat up hesitantly and opened up the drawer, whistling as he read the name on the very potent pills that Jason and Tim had left him. He set them down next to him, instead going to check his phone for the message noise that woke him up in the first place. He grabbed his phone and cringed as the bright screen blinded him briefly, immediately gong to turn down the brightness. As he did, he noticed the message from Amy. 

_Damien made contact. Get here ASAP._

Dick smiled again, sending a text to Tim and Jason to let them know he was back in the game. Or at least he hoped he was. He got out of bed slowly, grabbed his jacket and keys, and headed back into the station. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you liked it! They really help motivate me to write :). Hope y'all are having a great day! Expect more soon!


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow two chapters in one day! I'm really trying to make up for leaving y'all hanging for almost a month. Some exciting stuff coming up in the next chapter, I'm hoping to begin to introduce Barbara and our favorite yellow speedster Wally West. Please stay tuned and remember to comment! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

There are certain things that Dick does not want to hear from his partner as soon as he enters the precinct. One of those phrases, that really is on the top of his list is, "we have a big problem" which is of course the very first thing that Amy says to him when he walks in. 

"I thought that Damien reaching out was a good thing?" Dick asked. "I'm pretty sure he likes me." 

Amy turned to him as they continued walking in at a fast pace. "You assume everyone likes you until they're pointing a gun at your face." 

"That was one time!" Dick muttered. 

"Yeah, one time too many." Amy countered. 

She led him to the conference room where they were planning earlier in the investigation, all of their files still out and covering the table. "What's the problem?" Dick asked as he sat down in one of the chairs, wishing he had taken one of the pain pills Jason had left for him back at the apartment. 

She slid the phone on the table to Dick. Dick picked it up, automatically knowing where to go. This was the phone they had used for undercover missions. For a while, they just used their own, but Dick and Amy very quickly decided they would rather not have their numbers broadcasted to some of the biggest scum in Bludhaven. 

"Check the messages." Amy said, crossing her arms and staring at him. 

He did as she said, the only messages being in there from Damien. There were three messages in the phone, one being the address of Garcia's auction, and the other two being new. One of them was a message that simply said 'We need to talk' and the other was a picture. Dick saw it and cursed. 

"Shit." He said simply, setting the phone down. 

"Yeah, that was my reaction too." 

The two partners sat in silence for a while before Dick spoke up. "Amy, I have no idea how he got that. I thought I was being careful." 

"As much as I would like to blame you fully for this Grayson, this isn't entirely your fault. We should have been more careful." 

"But if I hadn't of disappeared after the shooting we could have been." Dick pointed out. 

Amy shrugged. "Maybe. We don't know. The question is, where do you want to go from here. This has to be your call." 

Dick sighed and grabbed the phone again, zooming in on the picture. It was him, in all his glory, walking into the Bludhaven Police Department after the shooting, sling still on his arm. Dick looked at the picture closer. Based on the angle, it was probably taken from the bushes in the parking lot. Dick saw that while it was hard to get good detail out of the grainy shot, it was definitely him. He studied it for a second more before setting it down again. 

"I say I go talk to him." Dick finally said. 

Amy's head snapped up to meet his eyes. "Are you kidding me?" 

"No, I say we do it." 

"Grayson that's a horrible move." 

He squinted his eyes at her. "I thought you said this was my call." 

"Well I didn't expect you to be an idiot about this." 

"I'm not being an idiot." 

"Then explain." 

"Look," Dick said standing up, "Damien Han is not a beat around the bush kind of guy, and he's also not an idiot. The fact that he still wants to talk instead of sending someone to kill me shows that he is not one hundred percent sure I betrayed him. If you look at the photo, you can't see my badge. I can spin this." 

Amy looked at him, doubt across her face. "Look Dick, I don't know about this. He could just be luring you out so he can kill you somewhere on his terms. This is idiotic to meet with him." 

Dick shook his head. "I've got a good feeling about this. Look, I'll be extra careful. You'll be right there, wherever we chose to meet. But I need your support on this." 

Amy sat down, defeated and looked at Dick. "This is your call and as your partner I'll back it. I will however, go on the record and say this is an idiotic idea and if Damien even sneezes wrong in your direction, I'll have a trained sniper take him out. Do you understand." 

Dick smiled at her. "I knew you'd come around." 

Dick grabbed up the phone and typed something out to Damien, hitting send. "How long do you think it'll take him to respond?" 

Dick was about to answer when his phone dinged with a response. 

"Apparently not long." 

* * *

Dick knew there were some moments in his career when he was, in lack of other terms, an idiot. But, Dick and even others had to admit, he was always pretty good about admitting when he messed up. He was a big believer in self improvement and the first step to that was to admit one's own weaknesses. 

So Dick had pretty good self awareness and in this moment, he was ninety nine percent sure that he was, in fact, not being an idiot. He knew that Amy's worries were justified, in fact he would have felt the same way himself. He _would_ have felt that way if he didn't know that he had two spandex wearing literal superheros backing him. That, and some evasive techniques that he hoped he wouldn't have to use tonight. 

He casually looked up in the alley that he was in, knowing that even if he couldn't see Jason and Tim, they were up there somewhere. He felt comforted knowing that at any moments, his brothers could swoop down and rescue him. This put his nerves at ease, something that infuriated Amy. Dick could also tell that it comforted her just a little bit. He knew that when he was worried, she got _extra_ worried. 

Dick checked his phone one more time, making sure he got the address right. As soon as it did, it started ringing in his hand. "Hello?" He asked putting the phone to his ear.

"Mr. Garrett." The voice said. 

Dick immediately responded with a, "Mr. Han. I'm at this wonderful meeting point you've chosen." 

"I know." Was the simple response he got. 

Dick resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Well, where are you this fine evening in the heart of the city?" 

"Somewhere far away from you." 

Dick frowned. "Well, that's not the answer I was hoping to get." 

"Leave your phone and watch on the top of the dumpster." 

"I guarantee you I'm not wired Mr. Han. I thought this meeting would clear things up between us." 

"It will, if you follow my instructions. Now put all metal objects you have on you on top of the dumpster and then go to the end of the alleyway. One of my cars will pick you up there. If you're followed in any way, I will have one of my guys shoot you in the head. Are we clear?" 

"Perfectly." Dick said hanging up the phone. 

He looked around the alleyway, confident that none of Damien's guys had eyes on him at the moment. He pressed his hand to his ear activating his com to Amy. "Change of plans, Damien has me stripping all metal and going with him, this'll set it off if they wand me. I've gotta ditch it." 

He heard the static click on and Amy's voice in his ear. "Don't you dare. We're calling it off." 

"I got this." He said confidently. "I'll call your cell when I'm done. If you don't hear from me in six hours, call in the cavalry." 

He took out his earpiece before he could hear her response and threw it in the dumpster, making sure that if any of Damien's guys check the place afterwards, they won't see it lying there. He knew the chief would be pissed for possibly ruining a good radio, but some things have to be done for the greater good. 

He next moved onto his watch. "Detective Dick to the bat patrol." He said into his wrist. 

"Bat Patrol go." He heard from Tim at the same time Jason said "I told you not to call us that." 

"Ditching all metals, going in car at the south end of alley. You guys got it?" 

"We'll be right behind you." Tim said. 

"Don't let anyone see you, I don't want to get this shirt ruined." 

"Copy that. Stay safe." Jason signed off. 

Dick took his watch off with a smile, happy that Jason showed he cared, even if it was with a simple remark. Next went his phone, which he carefully placed on top of the dumpster instead of tossing it completely. If possible, he would like to get that back. 

He walked to the back of the alley, leaning up against the wall and waiting. Not even two minutes later, he saw a black SUV come careening down the alley, screeching to a stop in front of him. Dick pushed off the wall as the door opened. "Nice of you guys to show up." He said. 

Immediately the men bagged his head and wretched his hands behind his back, causing his shoulder to flare up in protest. "Easy fellas." He said under the bag, "You'll tear the stitches." He was ignored as the men then roughly shoved him into the van and he felt it speed off in another direction. 

Great. He loved being kidnapped. 

* * *

When they finally took the bag off of Dick's head, they were not where he thought they'd be. Dick was in a nice apartment high up in the city, a far cry from the warehouse he thought that he would end up in. His wrists were duct taped to the arms of the chair he was sitting in with his ankles similarly restrained at the legs. He was immediately grateful they didn't tie his arms behind his back, that would have absolutely killed his shoulder. 

He blinked for a second to get his barings and when he finally got a comprehensive look around, he saw Damien standing in front of him. "Well," Dick began, "I sure hope this isn't how you treat all your partners." 

"It's not," Damien admitted, "normally the ones that betray us are shot and dumped in the nearest body of water." 

"Why do I get the special treatment?" Dick asked out of curiosity more than anything. 

"Mr. Garcia was greatly appreciative of the product we received from you. He wanted to make sure that you were a back stabber before I had one of my men kill you in your sleep." 

"How thoughtful of him." 

Damien nodded. "Now, I believe you have some explaining to do." 

"Right," Dick said, scooting up as much as he could in the chair, "as you know, I was remarkably grateful to receive an invite to Mr. Garcia's auction. When I got there however, it was a little more... gun ho than I was used to. Unfortunately in the chaos, I was shot in my shoulder here, and had to be taken to the hospital because patching a bullet hole is regrettably not in my skill set." Dick lied. 

Damien nodded at him, motioning for him to continue. "As I'm sure you know, all gunshot wounds must be reported to the proper authorities so as soon as I woke up from my blissful drug induced sleep, I had a couple of Bludhaven's finest asking me all sorts of... damaging questions." 

"Which I'm sure you were very careful in how you answered." Damien said, inching closed to Dick and pulling up a chair of his own. 

"On the contrary, I faked sleep as soon as I saw them." 

Damien laughed. "And that worked?" 

Dick shrugged as much as he could with his hands tied. "Somewhat. Unfortunately for me, I was given an escort to BPD as soon as I was discharged which is, I believe, how you got that rather unflattering photo of me." 

"So what did you tell the police?" 

"I told them I was cleaning my gun and accidentally shot myself in the shoulder." 

"And they believed you?" 

"Not for a minute, but since the police aren't busting down the door right now, you can assume I gave them a little incentive not to care too much about the whole thing." 

Damien stood up from his chair and started laughing. "You'll forgive me, Mr. Garrett, my employer is very paranoid." 

Dick felt the weight lift off his chest as Damien's men began cutting the tape from his arms. "I understand," Dick said rubbing his arms. "It's all part of the business." 

"That it is." Damien said. Dick stood up, stretching as best as he could without aggravating his shoulder. 

"Does this mean that we're good?" 

Damien's smile grew bigger. "More than good compadre." He said, leading Dick to the couch by placing his hand on his good shoulder. "You were caught by the boys in blue and still kept Mr. Garcia's name out of things. Loyalty is something that is greatly appreciated in this business." 

Dick sat on the couch across from Damien. "I do have to admit that part of it was me not wanting to be associated with one of the biggest drug kingpins in Bludhaven." 

Damien laughed again. "An honest man as well! Nicholas, may I call you Nicholas?" Dick nodded and Damien continued, "Nicholas you are quite the conundrum." 

"So I've been told." Dick laughed, looking over and accepting the drink he is handed by another one of Damien's men.

Damien accepted the other glass across from him and held it out. "A toast? To our renewed trust and a hopefully lucrative partnership." 

Dick reached his glass out to touch Damien's but didn't take a sip. Damien looked at him quizzingly. "I don't trust a man who doesn't drink at a toast." 

Dick shook his head. "Neither do I, unfortunately I am on some pretty intense pain medication at the moment and I would rather not be mixing the two. I may be a criminal but I do have some class." 

Dick turned his head towards the sound of the bedroom door opening. Out stepped a man dressed in, what Dick recognized, as one of the most expensive suits on the market. His hair was slicked back much like Dick's had been the other night, except that it was tied back in a pony tail going to his shoulders. Across from him, Damien instantly stood up. 

"Mr. Garcia." He said to the man, and Dick stood as well. 

Garcia smiled at Damien. "Sit, friend, sit." He said calmly. He turned to Dick. "I hope that you'll make an exception and drink with me." 

Garcia held out his hand and soon it was filled with a glass of the same alcohol Dick had been handed. Dick gave him a coy smile. "I guess in this one case." He said as he tipped the glass back and drank it fully, his eyes not leaving Garcia's as he did so. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked it! Not sure how many chapters there are going to be yet but for my first Bat fic it won't be too many as I'm still getting comfortable writing everyone. If you have comments about the accuracy, please do so so I can improve. 
> 
> Now as for the timeline with Amy. Dick and she are both detectives and partners and she does not know that Dick is Nightwing. She knows he has a secret but that's about it. Since I wasn't able to find out too much info besides her wiki page, her characterization is going to be based on that and headcanons more than anything else. Her family is still the same, but as far as tone goes, she's pretty much gonna be oc. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
